A GAP Meeting
by 08trekker
Summary: Here's a short one-shot of an (AU) Klaine meeting after Blaine gets turned down by Jeremiah. Enjoy! Rating's just me being paranoid, as always!


**A/N: Hi guys! This is just a short drabble I wrote just for fun (I was tired and bored, and I couldn't get the idea out of my head). Sorry for those of you who wanted this to be the sequel to Blaine's Version of Events, or a requested extra scene of Strangled Words—I am working on those, but it'll be a while. Blame my teachers! Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, nor anything else you may recognize...**

A GAP Meeting

Well, that had been embarrassing. You'd think that singing to a guy days before Valentine's Day would help woo the guy, not make him mad at you, and get him fired from his job. Good job, Blaine, just brilliant. Now all your friends know how much of a failure at romance you are, and you'll be alone on Valentine's Day.

As I stood there outside the GAP (having been humiliatingly thrown out of the store), I saw a young man exit the shop, walking over towards me. He was a very attractive young man, looking to be about my age with soft-looking brown hair, enchanting blue eyes, and a slim, elegant form. However, the first thing he said instantly made me go on defensive.

"Wow, that was harsh."

"Do I know you?" I asked this stranger (slightly rude, but who did he think he was, coming up to me and telling me that?), turning away.

The boy smiled. "No, you don't. I'm Kurt Hummel, I go to McKinley High...that's in Lima." he stuck out a hand which I ignored. Wincing slightly, he dropped it, and tried to smile again. "Well, I just wanted to say that that guy was really harsh on you. I thought that your song was very well done, even if it was a little risqué, seeing as you weren't actually dating the guy."

Completely thrown by the absurdity of this—who did this Kurt guy think he was, asking about my own private affairs, and criticizing me at the same time—and wanting to get rid of the guy, I told him shortly, "Look, I don't know what you want, but can you please go away. As you apparently know, I've just been turned down—I don't need you to rub salt in my wounds."

This Kurt hesitated, then asked me, "What's your name?"

Confused as heck as to what he was getting at, I lied, "James."

"Well then, _James_, sorry for caring. I hope you find future happiness, you and your nasty temper. God, and I thought only straight men were going to be nasty to me." he said sharply, and left quickly, leaving me reeling.

What the hell had just happened? Who was that guy, and why did I even care? In fact, why did he care? And why did I have to get so defensive? He had seemed like he was actually on my side for the whole Jeremiah incident...and had those been the start of tears glinting in his eyes as he stalked away? And the most important question—what should I do now? This boy obviously had a difficult life (the words, 'straight men...nasty to me', echoed in my head), and I had just been plain mean to him.

Whipping out my cellphone, I quickly dialed in Wes' number, and pressed it tightly against my ear. After two rings, it was picked up by David. "Hey, Blaine, how are you doing? What'd the guy say?"

Stomach dropping, I answered sullenly, "Jeremiah turned me down. He said we weren't dating, he was too old to me, yada yada yada."

"Oh, man, I'm sorry about that. That's too bad." David told me sincerely.

"I second that." Wes cut in—so they were on speakerphone.

"Thanks for that, guys, but that wasn't why I was calling, actually." I started, but was cut off by Wes.

"Do you need a ride? Because we're still here—we figured we'd get lunch at one of the restaurants here before leaving for Dalton." he informed me.

Smiling, I replied, "No, thanks, not right now. I wanted to ask you guys something. Where are you? I can ask it to you face to face..." I hedged.

Confused, David answered, "Umm, sure, we're at that Chinese place next to the Macy's..."

"Great, I'll be there in five minutes." I told them, and ended the call.

Hurrying over to the Chinese restaurant, I got there in four minutes. I saw them instantly (and thankfully, it was only the two of them, not all the other Warblers as well), and, pointing to them, got past the hostess. Sliding in next to David, Wes immediately asked me, "Okay, what's up?"

Seeing me hesitate, David nudged me. "Come on, Blaine, spit it out."

Grimacing, I decided to go all out. "Okay, so I told you that Jeremiah turned me down, remember?"

Wes nodded his head, exasperated. "Yes, Blaine, that was five minutes ago. We remember. Continue."

I took a deep breath. "Okay, so a minute later, the weirdest thing happened. This other guy walks outside, and goes over to me."

"What'd he look like?" David asked me eagerly, cutting me off.

Fixing a picture of the guy, Kurt, in my head, I described him—"He was about my age, pale skin, brilliant blue-green eyes, very well-dressed, and chestnut brown hair."—and Wes and David traded an excited look.

"Okay, go on." Wes urged me.

Rolling my eyes at them, I continued, "So he comes up to me, and says something along the lines of, 'That was harsh'. He's just some random stranger, so I practically ignore the guy. He tells me his name, Kurt Hummel, and his school, and I asked him to go away."

Wes and David were shaking their heads slowly at me, but I forged on. "He asks me for my name, and for some reason, I tell him my name's James."

"Why?" Wes cut me off, incredulous.

I threw my hands up in the air. "I don't know. He was treading on a sensitive subject—I wasn't happy. And I didn't know him or anything, so I didn't want some random stranger to know my name. Anyway," I corrected myself, "he tells me that he wished me and my 'nasty temper' future happiness, and then said something about how he thought only straight guys were supposed to be nasty to him or something while he was stalking off." I finished.

They both stared at me. "Oooookay. So, you were an idiot and an asshole, what's the big deal?" David asked me, confused.

"Because I feel bad!" I told him forcefully.

Wes shrugged. "Okay, so go find the guy. He might not have left yet. Just walk around and see if you spot him. If you do, then you can apologize. If not, it's not like you'll ever run into him again. You shouldn't have been so short-tempered, but it's understandable."

Standing up, I said, "Thanks, guys. I think that's what I'll do. See ya." With that, I walked out of the restaurant, heart lighter.

When I looked at the mall's directory, my heart sank. There were so many stores—where was I supposed to start? At random, I chose the Macy's (it was right next to me, anyway), and started looking around there.

An hour later, I had walked all over this infernal mall, and hadn't seen Kurt at all. Feeling tired, I decided to visit the mall's coffee shop to get my caffeine fix. As I entered the shop, I immediately went into the short line, ordered, and received my coffee. Turning around to look at the tables, my eyes fixed on a lone figure sitting at a table, sketching something in a notebook. Debating my next move internally in my head, I decided to take a risk, and sat down next to Kurt.

Looking up, Kurt started in shock. "James, what the heck are you doing here?" he demanded, trying to control his breathing.

"Umm," I started awkwardly, "I was trying to find you. You weren't anywhere in the mall, and I was tired from walking everywhere, so I decided to get a coffee." I held up my mug, wincing at how I'd told him the (awkward) truth.

His eyes narrowed. "You were looking for me? Why, so you could be even meaner to me?" he asked, sarcasm dripping from his mouth.

"No, no!" I said immediately, and Kurt gave me a skeptical look. "No, I wanted to apologize for how I treated you before." I told him.

"Really?" he asked, not believing me.

Leaning forward, I told him, "Look, I know we're total strangers, and we don't know each other at all, but you didn't deserve to be treated like I acted towards you. I was still reeling from being jilted, and I took my anger out on you." I hesitated, then added, "I'm sorry."

Kurt nodded slightly. "I accept your apology."

When I didn't leave, he raised his eyebrow at me. "Is there anything else...?" he asked, amused.

I shook my head, dazed. "Uh, no. No, there's not. Umm, I'll see you around?" I made it into a question, and Kurt nodded.

"I'll see you around, James."

Wincing, I hung back a second. "Umm, and, uh, my name's not actually James."

"Really?" Kurt seemed more intrigued then angry at being lied to. "What is your real name?" he questioned.

"Blaine." I answered. "Blaine Anderson." I held out a hand, mimicking his earlier gesture.

Smiling, Kurt took it, shaking my hand firmly. "Nice to meet you, Blaine."

"I'll see you around." I told him, then walked out of the coffee shop.

Stopping at the entrance, I reviewed the last 30 seconds. Here was this guy, this sharp-witted, kind, good-looking guy with soft hands, sitting behind me, and what was I doing? I was walking away. No. I turned back, and walked back to the table.

Before Kurt could ask me anything, I asked him flat out, "Do you want to go out with me on a date?"

Blinking, Kurt looked up at me in shock. "What?" he asked, flabbergasted.

"Do you want to go out with me?" I repeated nervously. "You know, on a date." I revised, shifting on my feet.

Kurt quickly moved from surprise to bemusement. "Let me get this straight: you get rejected by one guy, you're not very nice to the random stranger who tries to comfort you out of the kindness of his heart, then two second after you apologize to said magnificent stranger, you ask him out?" he clarified.

Heart beating fast, I nodded. "Yes." I answered.

"Are you crazy?" he asked me, and my heart sank.

"Occasionally." I muttered, and ducked my head. "I-it's fine. I-I'll see you around, Kurt." I said, then practically ran out of the small coffee shop, leaving Kurt behind me, staring at me in confusion and shock.

Running through the mall until I reached a parking lot, I took out my phone, dialing Wes' number again. "Hello? Blaine? Did you find him?" Wes asked instantly.

"C-can you pick me up? I'm at the first level parking lot nearest to the Nordstrom." I told him.

"Yeah, of course. We'll come over and pick you up, okay? Stay put." Wes instructed me, then hung up.

Seven minutes later, Wes and David drove up to where I was in Wes' car. "Hop in." David invited me, and I hurried into the backseat.

"So, how did it go? Did he accept your apology?" Wes asked, curious, as he pulled out of the parking lot.

Jerking my head, I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. "Hey, what's wrong? That's a good thing, then, right?" David prompted me.

All of a sudden, I couldn't contain it in any longer. "He said no!" I practically wailed.

"Said no to what?" Wes asked, confused.

"Did you seriously ask the guy out?" David understood what I'd meant.

"Seriously, Blaine? Why'd you do that?" Wes demanded, surprised.

"He, he accepted my apology, and I was walking away, when I realized that everything I wanted in a boyfriend was sitting at that table, and that I really liked him. Even more than Jeremiah. So I asked him out." I explained, getting frustrated.

Shifting in his seat so he could look directly at me, David asked, "So, what exactly did he say?"

Hesitating, I admitted, "He asked me if I was crazy."

"What did you say?" Wes asked, almost seeming to enjoy my misery.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "I, ah, might have answered 'occasionally', then ran out..." I hedged.

David slapped his forehead with his hand. "You're such an idiot. You know that, right?"

"Yes, I know that." I mumbled, and David sighed.

"So what are you going to do?" he asked me.

I shook my head. "I don't know...I don't know."

Two months passed. Every Sunday at exactly the same time, I visited that coffee shop in the Westerville Mall. Every week, I would order my coffee, sit at the table he had, take out a book, and read, constantly glancing up to see if he stopped by. So far, in all of eight weeks, he hadn't shown up once. I despaired of meeting him again, but whatever I did, I couldn't get him out of my head. The way he had moved, the way his eyes had sparkled, the way his hair had looked so incredibly soft, all I wanted to do was run my hands through it. But I couldn't, and I wouldn't ever get a chance because I was a stupid idiot who let him get away.

After the first two weeks, my friends had tried to convince me to stop, but I wouldn't. I couldn't stand the thought that I would miss him the one day he came to the mall because I let myself lose hope.

Then, nine weeks after the day I met him, I walked into that coffee shop, ordered my coffee, took out my book, and settled down at my usual table. Fifteen minutes into my book, there was a voice to my left. "Hey, is this seat open?"

I froze, not believing my ears. Wide-eyed, I turned to see Kurt, standing there, looking as beautiful as he had all that time ago, smiling down at me, coffee cup in one hand.

Dumbstruck, I nodded and watched as he settled down next to me (sitting closer to me than he needed to), crossing those long legs of his, and fixing his gaze on me.

"How are you?" he asked tentatively.

"Good." I breathed out, unable to believe my luck. "How are you?" I returned his question.

Kurt shrugged beautifully. "I've been better, but I have a feeling my day's gonna be much brighter now."

Was he...flirting...with me? Was Kurt flirting with me? Heart racing, I said breathily, "Me too."

He gave me a small smile, took a sip of his coffee, then set it down on the table. "Okay, let's just cut the preamble. What was all that about?" he asked me straightly.

I blinked, not adjusted yet to the fact that Kurt was sitting in front of me.

"What was what about?" I asked, muddled.

Kurt sighed. "You, asking me to go out with you, then running away. It took me a month to even consider returning here."

"I know." I said. When Kurt shot me a questioning look, I blushed slightly. "I, umm, I've been going here every Sunday since that day." I confided in him.

Shocked, he scooted a little closer to me. "So, why did you run out that day?" he asked.

Aware of his close proximity, my skin tingled slightly. "I was scared that you were going to turn me down, and I didn't want to deal with two rejections in one day." I answered honestly, then cursed myself, wanting to have thought up some less-embarrassing explanation.

"And why did you think you'd get rejected?" Kurt asked me, smiling slightly.

Confused, I answered, "Because I'd been really mean to you before, you asked me if I was crazy, and..." I trailed off.

"And...?" Kurt prompted me, smiling outright now.

I met his eyes. "And why would anyone as amazing as you want to go out with someone like me?" I finished softly, and Kurt grabbed my hand (I tried not to gasp at the feel of his soft hand on mine).

"Hey, don't think like that. I thought you'd been joking or something, or you decided against it at the last second." Kurt informed me.

"Never." I told him quietly.

Kurt shifted slightly in his seat, then looked me in my eyes. "Blaine, can I ask you something?"

Nodding, I leaned forward, ready to hear his question.

"Will you go out with me on a date?" Kurt asked me, his hand trembling slightly on top of mine.

My eyes widened, and I sucked in a deep breath. "I-it's okay if you don't want to—" Kurt started, but I cut him off, finding my voice.

"Yes! Yes, yes yes!" I told Kurt, grabbing his other hand, and stacking it on our other already-entwined hands.

"Really?" he asked, surprised.

"Of course!" I told him, then squeezed his hands. "I really want to date you."

His eyes glistened slightly, making them seem even bluer, if that was possible. "I really want to date you too." he said, and I knew—I was set.

**A/N: There you go! I hope you enjoyed it, and will possibly review (pretty pretty please?!). Also, with the whole James thing—my mom and dad met when they were in college at some party (they were both from the same state, and mom and her friend were visiting her friend's boyfriends' college, so they got thrown together), and mom always said that dad first introduced himself to her as James (that's not his real name, btw)...but dad denies this! Ah, fun! ;) Anyway, as I said, please review, and I hope you enjoyed it!**


End file.
